Sunday, December 1, 2013

This is the first year we are hosting family Christmas, AND the first year we are actually allowed a REAL Christmas tree. (When we lived in a condo, Christmas Trees were not permitted due to insurance/cleanliness reasons)

We decided to take a short drive out to Barrett's Christmas Tree Farm to pick one out, so we packed up my car with some snacks, our snowpants and the pupsters, and away we went!

Zoey wasn't too impressed at first, but the promise of hot chocolate got her moving :)

Sunday, November 24, 2013

For a small city, it was a HUGE turnout, and the weather was perfect! Thank goodness it wasn't this weekend! It's getting COLD around here!!

Zoey had a blast! She caught on pretty quickly that pretty much everyone in the parade was giving out a treat of some sort (ugh...and we are still rationing her Halloween candy) The pupsters liked it for the most part- getting a TON of attention from all the kids!!

Monday, November 4, 2013

We had a GREAT Halloween this year!
We talked a lot about Halloween before the fact- just trying to make sure that Z understood (especially since she FLIPPED out when she saw decorations at Home Depot!)

We made cookies, carved Pumpkins and she even picked out her own costume!

Cookie Making

Trick-or-Treating!

I hate that the best picture I had of the pumpkins has the camera strap in the corner :(

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Run for the Cure in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation is an event I have been participating in for 9 years! It is an even that is very close to my heart, and I am proud to raise money & show my support for the cause!

This year, well, things were a bit different!

1. We participated for the first time in Kingston, Ont.
2. J was with us again this year (having been away for a few years)
3. I am 60+ lbs. lighter than I was last year! (I wasn't in many pictures last year, so sometimes I forget how different I looked! )
4. Zoey has truly transformed into a little girl. Where did my baby go?

Saturday, October 5, 2013

I have to admit, I've been reading a lot less since moving. I have been spending most of my spare time talking with J & reconnecting.
Nonetheless, I am still well on my way to goal!

1. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
2. Waging Heavy Peace by Neil Young
3. I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen by Sylvie Simmons
4. Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward
5. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
6. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
7. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
8. This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
9. The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
10. Ru by Kim Thuy
11. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbotsky
12. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
13. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
14. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
15. Wool Obnibus (Wool 1-5) by Hugh Howey
16. Divergent by Veronica Roth
17. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
18. The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay
19. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
20. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
21. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
22. Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
23. Lover at Last by J.R. Ward
24. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
25. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
26. The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
27. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens.
28. Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art by Christopher Moore
29. Rabbit, Run by John Updike
30. Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis
31. Dead Ever After by Charlene Harris
32. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi Durrow
33. Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson
34. Gone Girl by Jillian Flynn
35. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
36. Big Brother by Lionel Shriver
37. Bared to You by Sylvia Day
38. Reflected in You by Silvia Day
39. Entwined in You by Sylvia Day
40. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
41. The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes
42. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
43. Odds Against Tomorrow by Nathaniel Rich
44. Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff
45. American Savage: Insights, Slights and Fights on Fatih, Sex, Love and Politics by Dan Savage
46. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

So, I have been reading. A lot. With J gone, and my TV unplugged (yup, I literally unplugged my TV a month ago, and I don't miss it!) it has been easy to curl up with a book every night after Z. goes to bed.

Here is what I have read 2013 Year-To-Date:

1. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
2. Waging Heavy Peace by Neil Young
3. I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen by Sylvie Simmons
4. Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward
5. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
6. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
7. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
8. This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
9. The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
10. Ru by Kim Thuy
11. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbotsky
12. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
13. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
14. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
15. Wool Obnibus (Wool 1-5) by Hugh Howey
16. Divergent by Veronica Roth
17. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
18. The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay
19. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
20. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
21. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
22. Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
23. Lover at Last by J.R. Ward
24. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
25. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
26. The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
27. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Remember how I said I wanted to blog more often in 2012? Well I clearly failed. No real reason, I just got kinda... busy.

I figure the easiest way to do this is UPDATES!

J.
After much deliberation and thought, J joined the Air-Force!! Of course, this means he has now been gone for almost a year on courses, training, etc. It also means his new dress uniform is ugly, but I will get used to that. We have been surviving on Skype, short visits and sheer willpower as Z and I miss him terribly. But ultimately, we know it is important that he is gainfully employed and SUPER proud he continues to serve Canada.

Also, he grew a mustache. (not so happy about that.) Me.
I completed several of my 2012 New Years Resolutions.
1. I FINALLY got my full Driver's License. ( I knew how to drive, was just too lazy to go and get a real license, preferring to sit back and let bus driver's take me everywhere!)
I also got my first car: a beautiful 2012 Mazda 3 hatchback. Standard Transmission. Her name is Hermione.
Here she is at the Superstore:

2. I finally got serious about making my hands better. I have been seeing a top rated dermatologist, and experimenting with lots of different lotions and potions. The results have been mixed, but things seem to be improving!

3. I also returned to work in Jan./ Feb. 2013 in a new role. (same company) I work a few minutes from home, with an AWESOME team, and have been LOVING my new job. I am SO happy I made the switch.

4. Lately I have been embarking on some self-improvement ventures. It's been a long time coming, and partially fueled by a personal tragedy, but more on that later!

Reading:

I didn't get much reading done in 2012- but I am back on the bandwagon this year, determined to complete my 50 books this year, I am well on my way with 21 under my belt thus far in 2013!

Pupsters:
The pupsters continue to thrive and be the best puppies EVER. I did however, have to send them on puppy vacation to the Island with my AWESOME in-laws. With J gone, and me working full-time and Z in day care, it all became too much for me, and something had to give. They are temporarily on vacation, and LOVING every second of it. I see them often, and can't wait to snuggle with them on a regular basis.

Z. What can I say, other that the kid is the center of my universe. She is the smartest, most beautiful, funniest, most mischievous little girl on earth! I love her more and more every day.
She's grown up so fast, and gotten skinnier, and louder, and grown the most curly little baby-fro.

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About Me

My name is Jo. I am a pretty average girl- with a pretty average life.
I am 30-something *gasp*, living and working in Vancouver and married to the only person I have met that is crazier than I am.
I work at a bank, and J. is a Combat Engineer with the Canadian Forces. We are trying to have a normal relationship- but it's tough since J. has been gone all the time... courses, pre-deployment, deployment, Olympics- the list goes on!
We have 2 fur babies- both American Eskimo dogs named Barley and Betsy.
We just had our first child, Zoey in March 2011.
We bought our first home in Port Moody BC about a few years ago and life is good!
The best parts are my fantastic HUGE kitchen with all new appliances (and I LOVE to cook- another challenge since I have been a vegetarian for 20 years, and J. needs half a cow a week to survive), learning to be a mom, and making lots of new friends!
The worst part is trying to adjust to quiet suburban life....